Absentee voting begins Friday

The voting machines have been calibrated and, according to Knox County Clerk Mike Corey, are ready to be programmed for the Barbourville Wet/Dry Local Election on Dec. 29.

This Friday, Dec. 3, is the first day the clerk’s office will be able to program the voting machines for the election. There will be a single voting machine available in the clerk’s office during working hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

According to Corey, the clerk’s office is required by law to give at least 12 days for absentee voting, but Barbourville residents will have a full 19 days for absentee voting.

Residents who request paper ballots are asked to mail their paper ballots by Dec. 15 in order to insure they are received at the clerk’s office by Dec. 22. Paper ballots can be accepted from Barbourville residents who are of advanced age, disabled or are ill and unable to travel to vote.

Machine absentee voting can be accepted from anyone who will be out of the county on Election Day or women who are in their third trimester of pregnancy.

As a reminder, only residents of the city of Barbourville can vote in this upcoming election. For the ease of voting, precincts will be located at Jesse D. Lay Elementary, Central Elementary, G.R. Hampton Elementary and Knox County Middle School. Voting precincts will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Election Day.

In other election news, Clerk Mike Corey wants to remind all Republicans, or those that wish to change their party affiliation to Republican, that the deadline to register for the March 5 Republican Caucus is Dec. 30, as the clerk’s office will be closed Dec. 31.

As the Republican Caucus will be held March 5, Kentucky Republicans will not be voting for Republican presidential candidates in the May primary; however, there will be other Republican races on the ballot.